Biography
Pierre Akendengue ranks among Africa's preeminent creative figures, functioning as musician, poet, philosopher, and visionary alike. His mark on the continent's musical traditions equals the stature of Francis Bebey or Youssou N'Dour. At home in Gabon he is hailed as a musical genius, while within the broader francophone sphere he enjoys solid recognition; beyond those boundaries, however, his recordings have stayed largely undiscovered and often require determined searching to acquire. The situation is unfortunate, since, like Bebey and N'Dour, he was already active before anyone had invented the label "world music," and his forward-looking body of work deserves inclusion among the period's most lasting achievements.
He took up composition in childhood, and by his teenage years Gabonese radio stations were already playing his songs. In his twenties he moved to France to study literature and psychology, a period during which his sight deteriorated rapidly until it resulted in total blindness. After completing his training in Orléans, Caen, and Paris, he returned briefly to Gabon, yet his outspoken criticism of the government prompted exile to France at the outset of the 1970s.
The 1974 debut Nandipo established his reputation as a witty songwriter of philosophical depth. Afrika Obota, released two years later, exceeded that success and brought him an MIDEM award for Best Francophone Songs. A steady sequence of strong albums followed. His third record, Eseringuila from 1978, received the Maraccas d'Or for Best African Record in 1979. In 1985 he resettled in Gabon. The 1986 album Piroguier is now regarded as a classic of African music.
The 1990s found Akendengue venturing into more experimental territory; with French composer and producer Hughes de Courson he issued Lambarena, fusing the music of Johann Sebastian Bach with African traditional sources. On the subsequent releases Maladalité (1995) and Carrefour Rio (1997) he returned to more familiar ground, once again demonstrating his command of sophisticated, multilayered theatrical songwriting.
He took up composition in childhood, and by his teenage years Gabonese radio stations were already playing his songs. In his twenties he moved to France to study literature and psychology, a period during which his sight deteriorated rapidly until it resulted in total blindness. After completing his training in Orléans, Caen, and Paris, he returned briefly to Gabon, yet his outspoken criticism of the government prompted exile to France at the outset of the 1970s.
The 1974 debut Nandipo established his reputation as a witty songwriter of philosophical depth. Afrika Obota, released two years later, exceeded that success and brought him an MIDEM award for Best Francophone Songs. A steady sequence of strong albums followed. His third record, Eseringuila from 1978, received the Maraccas d'Or for Best African Record in 1979. In 1985 he resettled in Gabon. The 1986 album Piroguier is now regarded as a classic of African music.
The 1990s found Akendengue venturing into more experimental territory; with French composer and producer Hughes de Courson he issued Lambarena, fusing the music of Johann Sebastian Bach with African traditional sources. On the subsequent releases Maladalité (1995) and Carrefour Rio (1997) he returned to more familiar ground, once again demonstrating his command of sophisticated, multilayered theatrical songwriting.
Albums
